Caribbean
NEWSLINK Newsletter of the ILO Decent Work Team and Office for the Caribbean
July - September 2015
ILO and UNAIDS support Trinidad and Tobago with launch of VCT@Work initiative Photo: ILO and UNAIDS officials, constituents and partners at the official launch of Trinidad and Tobago’s WVCT@Work initiative
A joint initiative supported by the ILO and UNAIDS to reach five million workers world-wide with voluntary and confidential HIV counselling and testing (VCT@WORK), has been launched in Trinidad and Tobago. The Government of Trinidad and Tobago launched its Workplace, HIV & Wellness, Voluntary Counselling and Testing Campaign known as the WVCT@WORK Campaign, on 25 August 2015. The Initiative is a collaborative project between the ILO Decent Work Team and Office for the Caribbean (DWT/O-POS); the UNAIDS Regional Support Team for the Caribbean; The Ministry of Labour and Small Enterprise Development through its National HIV/AIDS Workplace Advocacy and Sustainability Centre (HASC); and the Ministry of Health. At the opening ceremony, held at the House of Angostura, Laventille, Ms Dagmar Walter, Deputy Director, ILO DWT/O-POS announced that, “Trinidad and Tobago, through
its national Workplace HIV and Wellness Counselling and Testing Campaign, is the first country in the Caribbean to join the global VCT@WORK initiative, which incorporates the 10 key human rights principles affirmed in the ILO’s HIV and AIDS Recommendation of 2010”. During her feature address, Ms Cecilia Greaves-Smith, former Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Labour and Small and Micro Enterprise Development, expressed that she was very pleased to see the implementation of the WVCT@ WORK Campaign, which seeks to create healthy workspaces and a work environment free of HIVrelated stigma and discrimination. Dr. Ayanna Sebro, Deputy Programme Director, HIV and AIDS Coordinating Unit, Ministry of Health; and Dr. Benjamin Alli, Acting Director, UNAIDS Regional Support Team for the Caribbean and other
key stakeholders of the campaign were also present at the launch. Ms Ana Catalina Ramirez, ILO HIV/AIDS Specialist based in San Jose, Costa Rica, worked closely with the HASC to provide training. The ILO’s SOLVE Programme addresses health promotion issues at the workplace, focusing on the prevention of work-related stressors including economic and work-related stress; alcohol and drug abuse; physical and psychological violence; the prevention of HIV/AIDS, as well as the promotion of tobacco-free workplaces and healthy lifestyles, including good eating, sleeping and exercise habits. Ms Ramirez trained 18 selected wellness educators and facilitators using the SOLVE approach, who will visit 50 enterprises over the coming months to offer sensitization workshops and testing opportunities for several non-communicable diseases as well as HIV. (Continued...)
Through the HASC, the WVCT@WORK Campaign will enable employees to gain access to HIV testing, counselling and treatment and other health related services, such as blood pressure, body mass index and blood sugar testing in the workplace. The initiative will target at least 5,000 workers in participating workplaces from the public, private and informal sectors such as domestic workers and taxi drivers. The first employees will begin receiving these services in October 2015.
SOCIAL PROTECTION
It is hoped that the WVCT@WORK Campaign will significantly contribute towards the new fast-track
targets to accelerate progress towards ending the AIDS epidemic, established by UNAIDS for the post2015 era. Known as the ‘90–90–90’ targets, these goals include increasing access to HIV testing so that by the end of 2020, 90 per cent of all people living with HIV will know their status, 90 per cent of all people diagnosed with HIV will receive treatment and 90 per cent of people on treatment will achieve viral suppression. For further information on the ILO Programme on HIV/AIDS and the World of Work please visit www.ilo.org/aids and for more information on SOLVE please visit www.ilo.org/safework.
Ms Ana Catalina Ramirez, ILO HIV/AIDS Specialist conducting the SOLVE training session.
Ms Dagmar Walter, Deputy Director, ILO speaking at the WVCT@WORK launch in Trinidad and Tobago.
ILO supports Trinidad and Tobago National Workplace Policy review on HIV and AIDS The Ministry of Labour and Small Enterprise Development has been tasked with revising and updating the National Workplace Policy on HIV and AIDS. Trinidad and Tobago adopted the policy over five years ago. The Ministry’s National HIV/AIDS Workplace Advocacy and Sustainability Centre (HASC) will hold a series of stakeholder consultations in both Trinidad and Tobago, to ensure that the policy remains consistent with national and international HIV and AIDS priorities, research and guidelines with respect to the workplace. In her remarks at the formal opening of the consultations in the House of Angostura, Laventille, on 29 September 2015, Ms. Dagmar Walter, Deputy Director, ILO DWT/O-POS noted that Participants at a stakeholder consultation in Trinidad. “it is very timely to revise the National Workplace Policy on HIV and AIDS. The current policy builds on the ILO Code of Practice of 2001. In 2010, the ILO constituents, including Trinidad and Tobago … adopted the ILO Recommendation 200, Concerning HIV and AIDS and the World of Work, which is now the guiding international document.” Ms Walter explained that, “The ILO has further supported a legislative gap analysis, making recommendations to amend, among others, the Equal Opportunity Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Workers Compensation Act to encompass HIV and AIDS in the workplace.” Two further consultations are to be held in Trinidad, and Ms Walter will participate in the consultation in Tobago on 20 October 2015.
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ILO convenes Roundtable on the reduction of child labour for Latin America and the Caribbean Delegations from 25 countries from Latin America and the Caribbean, including representatives from the Bahamas, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, gathered in Brasilia, Brazil, from 1–3 July 2015, for the Roundtable on South-South Cooperation to accelerate the reduction of Child Labour in Latin America and the Caribbean.
has contributed a significant amount of resources for South-South cooperation, demonstrating leadership in these types of initiatives.” Also speaking at the opening were Ms. Esmirna Sánchez, the spokesperson for the Focal Points Network of the Regional Initiative, and Ambassador Fernando Marroni de Abreu, Director, ABC. During the meeting participants exchanged ideas about strategies for resource mobilization as well as The Roundtable was organized within the framework good practices and mechanisms that facilitate the of the ‘Regional Initiative: Latin America and the implementation of South-South cooperation initiatives. Caribbean Free of Child Labour’, which is designed to accelerate countries’ efforts to eliminate At the end of the three child labour, and is days, the Roundtable facilitated by the ILO led to the creation Technical Secretariat of agreements and of the Initiative. The commitments focused Brazilian government on advancing the convened the ‘Regional Initiative: Roundtable as a Latin America and part of the Brazilthe Caribbean Free ILO South-South of Child Labour’, and Cooperation Initiative. in relation to a wide range of topics such In his opening remarks, Participants from the Roundtable on South-South Cooperation to accelerate the as labour migration, reduction of Child Labour in Latin America and the Caribbean. Mr. José Manuel Salazar youth employment, Xirinachs, the new ILO indigenous communities, Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, school-to-work transition, education, value chains, emphasized the need to invest resources equivalent agriculture and information technology. Based on to 0.3% of gross domestic product to eliminate child these agreements, the exchange of information and labour by 2025. Mr. Salazar also highlighted that the tools, training sessions, joint research, methodology roundtable had been organized in Brazil, “a country transfer and internships by specialists, among others, with which the ILO has developed an important are expected to be implemented in the next three to six partnership. The Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC) months.
ILO supports ‘Breastfeeding and work - let’s make it work!’ The Deputy Director of the ILO DWT/O-POS, Ms Dagmar Walter, joined The Informative Breastfeeding Service (TIBS) of Trinidad and Tobago in their celebrations for World Breastfeeding Week on Saturday 8 August 2015. The theme of this year’s World Breastfeeding Week campaign supported by the ILO, the WHO and UNICEF, highlights ‘Breastfeeding and work – Let’s make it work!’ “Maternity leave does not always cover the period of breastfeeding, so this year’s campaign calls upon employers to put arrangements in place to
accommodate and facilitate mothers to continue breastfeeding upon their return to work.” says Ms Walter. Breastfeeding is natural and usually the preferred choice from a health perspective. Workplace policies that support mothers in this task not only improve breastfeeding rates, but they also increase job satisfaction and loyalty to the employer, who benefits by attracting and retaining more female employees. Law-makers, employers, trade
Ms Dagmar Walter, Deputy Director, ILO, (top right) with volunteers of TIBS, Trinidad and Tobago.
unions and co-workers all have a role to play in turning the ILO Maternity Protection Convention of 2000 (No. 183) into reality. www.ilo.org/global/topics/equality-anddiscrimination/maternity-protection
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ILO-EU project supports national bipartite meetings for CARIFORUM states A series of 14 national bipartite meetings have been held throughout the region since 7 July 2015, by the Caribbean Employers’ Confederation (CEC) and the Caribbean Congress of Labour (CCL), with support from the International Labour Organization (ILO). A team consisting of two representatives from the CEC and CCL, the ILO Employers’ and Workers’ Activities Specialists, and the two national project officers from CEC and CCL, have visited the CARIFORUM member States of St Lucia; Grenada; Dominica;
L to R: Ms Claudia Coenjaerts, Director, ILO DWT/O-POS; Senator the Honourable Jennifer BaptistePrimus, Minister of Labour and Small Enterprise Development, Trinidad and Tobago; Ms Daniela Tramacere, Chargé d`Affaires a.i., Delegation of the European Union to Trinidad and Tobago, speaking at the national bipartite meeting in Trinidad and Tobago.
SOCIAL DIALOGUE
Antigua and Barbuda; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Haiti; Jamaica; Belize; the Bahamas; Barbados; St Vincent and the Grenadines; Suriname; Guyana; and Trinidad and Tobago to facilitate these meetings. These initial workshops form part of a three-year €1,715,000 (US$ 2 million) Project1 funded by the European Union (EU) and executed by the ILO along with the CEC and CCL as implementing agencies, which seeks to build the capacity of Caribbean regional Employers’ and Workers’ organizations so that they can make substantive contributions to policy-setting aimed at regional development and the integration process, and thus fulfil their obligations under the Social Aspects Chapter of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).
Mr Edison Sumner, CEO of the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers’ Confederation
Speaking prior to the national bipartite meeting in Belize on 24 August, Mr David Massiah, President, CCL, highlighted that, “since 1960 we have been the organization known as ‘the Voice for Labour’ within the Caribbean ... This particular project has given us an opportunity to reposition ourselves within the region, and to have the various national organizations reposition themselves, to be a part of this whole discussion of policy development.” He also noted, ‘Topics that have been discussed so far include CSME and the free movement of labour, recognition of TVET, climate change, harmonization of labour laws throughout the region, and the importance of labour market information systems.”
Also speaking in Belize, Mr Raymond Eytle, a CEC Director, stated that “the objective is to bring together employers to look at areas of common interest in terms of policy, in terms of issues that we want to bring to fora at the regional level [and] to get more and more recognition for that body, the CEC, as the regional voice for labour issues as relates to the employer.” The European Union was represented at several of the bipartite Workshops. At the Trinidad and Tobago Workshop held at the Kapok Hotel in Port of Spain on 1 October, Ms Daniela Tramacere, Chargé d`Affaires a.i. of the Delegation of the European Union to Trinidad and Tobago, stated that,
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Ms Ida Le Blanc, General Secretary, National Union of Domestic Employees (N.U.D.E.) in Trinidad and Tobago
The Project funded by the European Union is entitled: “Challenges to CARIFORUM Labour, Private Sector and Employers to fulfil their Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) Obligations: Caribbean Employers’ Confederation and the Caribbean Congress of Labour Component of the Support to Facilitate Participation of CARIFORUM Civil Society in Regional Development and Integration Process.”
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“Free movement of labour is one of the pillars of the European Union Single Market...People, goods, services and money, can move around the EU as freely as within a single country...The European Single Market is one of the EU’s greatest achievements and it has fuelled economic growth and made the everyday life of European businesses and consumers easier.” Ms. Tramacere affirmed that the CEC and CCL “will participate in the work towards the harmonization of labour laws and practices, to support the free movement of labour within the region, and the promotion of the Caribbean Single Market.”
Mr Wayne Chen (left), President, CEC and Mr Chester Humphrey; General Secretary, CCL, speaking with the Hon. Volda Lawrence, Minister responsible for Labour, Ministry of Social Protection at the Meeting in Guyana.
“We only start to talk seriously about social dialogue when a crisis is imminent” stated Mr Wayne institutionalization of social dialogue Chen, President of the CEC , at with a broad mandate…We support the the workshop for employers’ and three-year ILO-EU Programme for the workers’ organizations in Trinidad and Caribbean Employers’ Confederation Tobago. “The Barbadian example is and the Caribbean Congress of Labour held up in the Caribbean because and we hope that this Programme it’s time honoured, it is formalized, also succeeds in strengthening the it is in its sixth protocol and it has capabilities of our social partners to participate, contribute been going on for 22-23 years. But significantly and feed into the EPA process.” it was precipitated by a fiscal crisis in The workshops facilitated under the EUBarbados.“ He continued, “The signs funded Project have are clear, that the provided a forum for world is changing. national employers’ How are we going and workers’ to be creative? ... organizations to How are we going understand their to transition towards role in the project, the next step?” Mr to air their concerns Chen pleaded with on national, social Caribbean social and economic partners not to issues, to set a leave it too late to common agenda start discussing the for collaboration issues. He noted between the social that if Caribbean Mr Achille Joseph, Executive Director of partners at the States pooled their the Dominican Employers’ Federation national level, resources, they would have better economies of and inform the agenda of the regional scale, as do the larger countries of organizations of the CEC and CCL. Latin America that have a competitive advantage over Caribbean States. Mr Mr. Achim Schaffert, Head of Section, Chen went on to state, “we want highly- Economic, Social Development and paid workers, because highly-paid Trade, Delegation of the European workers are high paying consumers Union to Jamaica, Belize, The Bahamas, … We have a mutual benefit.” Turks and Caicos Islands and Cayman Islands participated in the meeting At the workshop in Suriname on on 20 August, which was held at the 28 September, H.E. Soewarto premises of the Jamaica Employers’ Moestadja, Minister of Labour Federation (JEF) in Kingston. During declared, “The Government of his opening remarks, Mr. Schaffert told Suriname commits itself to the further participants “we are very pleased with
the progress that has been made by all of you and by the ILO in particular, the executing agency of this Programme, in a comparatively short time. It only started in February of this year and a lot has been accomplished already. We have no doubt that this good pace of implementation will continue.” “The project is also an opportunity to develop and build on the ILO structures that are so critical to bring about sustainable policies, programmes and strategies needed to implement the Decent Work Agenda and fulfil CARIFORUM’s commitment to good governance and the implementation of the EPA.” stated Ms. Claudia Coenjaerts, Director, ILO DWT/O-POS. “In order to build and deliver a coherent programme of ILO support in any country, it must be based on and owned by all three of our constituents, the Government, the workers and employers… Tripartism is the ILO’s fundamental strength and it allows us to bring together many experiences and perspectives.” A regional bipartite meeting will be convened in Grenada from 3-5 November 2015, where the representatives of employers and workers of the 15 CARIFORUM member States will be invited to report on actions agreed at the national bipartite level, and develop a joint plan of action. For more information on the EU-funded Project please visit: www.ilo.org/caribbean/projects/ WCMS_357992
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Diplomatic Academy of the Caribbean partners with ILO to offer Labour Diplomacy course
SOCIAL DIALOGUE
Participants and facilitators of the Labour Diplomacy course at the Diplomatic Academy of the Caribbean
The Diplomatic Academy of the Caribbean (DAOC) in collaboration with the ILO, held a short course in Labour Diplomacy from 14-18 September 2015 at the recently opened DAOC building, located at the University of the West Indies (UWI), St Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago.
Twenty participants benefited from the five-day course. Both participants and facilitators were drawn from Government, Employers’ and Workers’ Organizations from Barbados, Dominica, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. Facilitators of the course included Sir Roy Trotman, former General Secretary, Barbados Workers’ Union (B.W.U.), and former Vice-Chair of the ILO Governing Body, and Chairman of the Workers’ Group; Mr Wayne Chen, President, Caribbean Employers’ Confederation (CEC); Ms Simone Young, Deputy Director, CARICOM and Caribbean Affairs Division, Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs, Trinidad and Tobago; Ms Marcia Rampersad, Head, International Affairs Unit, Ministry of Labour and Small Enterprise Development, Trinidad and Tobago; Mr Giovanni di Cola, ILO
Special Advisor, Multilateral Cooperation Department; and Mr Shingo Miyake, ILO Labour Law and International Labour Standards Specialist. The Hon. Major General Edmund Dillon, Minister of National Security, GoRTT along with Claudia Coenjaerts, Director, ILO DWT/O-POS participated in the closing ceremony. Ms Coenjaerts congratulated the participants, and the Academy for having organized and implemented this course on Labour Diplomacy which was the first of its kind. The DAOC stated that participants were very pleased with the course content and requested that the training is held again, so that other colleagues may benefit from the course. Some delegates expressed an interest in having a second part to the course, to explore key topics in further detail.
Sir Roy Trotman
Mr. Rainer Pritzer, ILO Senior Specialist, Social Dialogue and Labour Administration and Professor W. Andy Knight, Director of the Institute of International Relations, UWI gave remarks at the opening of the event. The module explored topics such as ILO History and Constitution; International Labour Standards; International Labour Conference; The Decent Work Agenda; Labour Migration; Child Labour; Human Trafficking; Youth Employment; The Informal Economy; Climate Change and Green Jobs; Gender Equality; Skills, Knowledge and Employability; and Sustainable Development Goals. Ms Claudia Coenjaerts, ILO; The Hon. Major General Edmund Dillon, Minister of National Security; and Professor W. Andy Knight congratulate Mr Vincent Cabrera, President, BIGWU.
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ILO provides training at the Industrial Court of Trinidad and Tobago
Social Dialogue in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean The ILO was invited to deliver a presentation to members of the United Nations Association of Trinidad and Tobago (UNATT), on Saturday 25 July at the Normandie Hotel, St Ann’s as part of UNATT’s 2015 Discourse Series. Mr Rainer Pritzer, Senior Specialist, Social Dialogue and Labour Administration from the ILO DWT/OPOS, spoke to UNATT members on the topic of “Social Dialogue in Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean and Beyond.”
L to R: Mr Rainer Pritzer, Senior Specialist, Social Dialogue and Labour Administration, ILO; Mr Noel Inniss, Registrar, Industrial Court of Trinidad and Tobago; Ms Dagmar Walter, Deputy Director, ILO; Her Honour, Ms Deborah Thomas-Felix, President of the Industrial Court; and Mr Selby Braithwaite,
The IL O held a t r ain i n g Wo rk s h o p i n C o n c i l i a ti on and Me diat ion Tec hn i q u e s fo r th e J u d g e s o f the I ndustrial Cour t of Tri n i d a d a n d To b a g o , from 9-11 Se pt em ber 2015 . P re s i d e n t o f th e In d u s tri al Court, Her Honour Ms Deborah Thomas-Felix2, and Ms Dagmar Walter, Deputy Director, ILO DWT/O-POS, gave opening remarks at the three-day Workshop held at the Court. “We are all aware that ‘justice delayed, is justice denied’ ... Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is a faster process than the formal trial, less expensive for all parties and more integrative. It is a very useful approach to labour dispute prevention in general, and we actively promote this approach among union representatives and enterprise management as a dispute prevention tool. However, not all disputes can be prevented, and once it reaches the court level, the conciliation and mediation approach can still be used to settle the dispute.” said Ms Walter. Mr Rainer Pritzer, Senior Specialist, Social Dialogue and Labour Administration, and Mr Selby Braithwaite, Consultant and former Director of Labour Administration for the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, facilitated the three-day workshop, which covered areas including dispute resolution, conciliation process, conflict, and the negotiation process, using roleplay techniques. Twenty-three judges of the Industrial Court benefited from the training. A similar workshop for Industrial Court Judges was held by the ILO in 2012.
Mr Pritzer described social dialogue as “a trustbuilding tool”. Social dialogue protects the interests of workers while at the same time also addresses the concerns of employers. He stated that there is no “one-size-fits-all” model of social dialogue, as it is dependent on the national, economic, historical and cultural context. Mr Pritzer shared examples of good practices of social dialogue from Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean and other regions.
Mr Rainer Pritzer, ILO Senior Specialist, Social Dialogue and Labour Administration delivers a presentation to UNATT members.
Social dialogue plays a critical role in achieving the ILO’s objective of advancing opportunities for women and men to obtain decent and productive work in conditions of freedom, equality, security and human dignity. It is one of the four pillars of the ILO Decent Work Agenda. For more information on UNATT, please visit www.unassociationtt.org
The Industrial Court of Trinidad and Tobago celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2015.
2 Her Honor Ms Deborah Thomas-Felix was appointed President of the Industrial Court in December 2011. In December 2014 she was appointed a Judge of the United Nations Appeals Tribunal (UNAT) and subsequently sworn in by His Excellency Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations on 17 February 2015. By July 2015, she was elected Second-Vice President of UNAT.
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Decent work and the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development
POST-2015 AGENDA
During the UN General Assembly in September 2015, decent work and the four pillars of the Decent Work Agenda – employment creation, social protection, rights at work, and social dialogue – became integral elements of the new United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The importance of decent work in achieving sustainable development is highlighted by Goal 8 which aims to “promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all”. Goal 8 of the 2030 Agenda will be a key area of engagement for the ILO and its constituents. Furthermore, key aspects of decent work are widely embedded in the targets of many of the other 16 goals of the UN’s new development vision. Putting job creation at the heart of economic policy-making and development plans, will not only generate decent work opportunities but also more robust, inclusive and poverty-reducing growth. It is a virtuous circle that is as good for the economy as it is for people and one that drives sustainable development. Where do we stand today on jobs, a good eight years after the global financial and economic crisis started brewing in late 2007? The number of unemployed persons globally amounts to 201 million. The level of unemployment has not yet returned to pre-crisis levels, and youth are hard hit with 74 million young persons out of work last year. Beyond the inadequate number of available positions, the quality of existing jobs is a further concern. More than half of the world’s workforce is estimated to be trapped in the informal economy, while 780 million women and men constitute the working poor, and have to make do with less than US $2 a day. Meanwhile, a comparatively well-off worker in an advanced economy may only be able to dream about a full-time position with a long contract these days. These big unemployment and poverty figures explain the necessity for the nations of the world to focus on growth and decent work and why this goal is at the heart of global priorities for the next decade and a half. Growth, decent work and acceptable living standards for all go hand in hand. The benefits of growth need to trickle down to the whole population and not be enjoyed by just a privileged few. Without decent work, it will not be possible to end poverty and hunger, or ensure health and equality for all. But the decent work agenda is holistic. It is not only about full employment and good jobs. It is about rights, such as those spelled out in international standards and treaties, dialogue among workers, employers and governments and social protection. Only when this full, four-course menu is ingested and digested will economies be fuelled and energized. For more information, please visit: www.ilo.org/global/topics/sdg-2030
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Caribbean constituents from Jamaica and Barbados participated in an ILO regional knowledge sharing Forum on the Formalization of the Informal Economy in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), held in Lima, Peru from 24-28 August 2015, which was sponsored by the Ministry of Employment and Social Security of Spain. The Forum, the first in a series to be held by the ILO globally, was organized by the ILO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean in collaboration with the International Training Centre Turin (ITCILO), the Employment Policy Department at ILO Headquarters in Geneva; and the ILO Programme for the Promotion of Formalization in Latin America and the Caribbean (FORLAC). The main objective of the regional Forum was to promote the exchange of best practices and experiences at the regional level on policies aimed at facilitating transitions to formality, with the view to developing capacities at the national level to formulate, implement and monitor an effective, integrated policy framework. Informality poses a threat to sustainable economic development; perpetuates poverty and inequality; affords unfair competition to formal businesses; contributes to decent work deficits including the denial of fundamental principles and rights at work; and results in a lack of social security for many groups of workers, such as domestic workers and the self-employed. Informality is also associated with a reduced representation of workers, resulting in workers who cannot freely exercise their right to freedom of association and collective bargaining.
Participants at the Latin America and Caribbean FORLAC Forum.
The Forum offered participants exposure to theories, policies and practices of formalization through national as well as international expertise and research on the subject. Participants reviewed evidenced-based, successful approaches to the formalization process, and how to adapt the approach to the specific situations of participating countries.
ILO Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Mr José Manuel Salazar Xirinachs speaking at the FORLAC Forum.
During the workshop, the following main thematic issues were explored: • Integrated policy frameworks for transitions to formality in the LAC Region; • Enabling environments and conditions conducive to formalization of enterprises, with a special focus on small and medium enterprises (SMEs); • Macroeconomic and employment policies promoting formal employment; • Regulatory frameworks for formalization; • Enforcement and compliance strategies; and • Extension of Social Protection to the informal economy. The Forum explored tools and methodologies successfully implemented by member States in the LAC region, in order to design comprehensive strategies to minimize informality. These discussions follow the adoption of ILO Recommendation No. 204 concerning the Transition from the Informal to the Formal Economy, adopted at the ILC in June 2015, and are expected to assist in the development of a global knowledge base.
EMPLOYMENT PROMOTION
ILO Caribbean constituents attend regional forum on Formalization
The event targeted the ILO’s tripartite constituents in the region, and policy makers at various levels from various key public institutions including Ministries (Labour, Finance, Planning, Social Affairs, Statistics), as well as researchers, practitioners, and staff from international organizations working on formalization in the following countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Peru, Dominican Republic, Uruguay, Jamaica and Barbados. The ILO DWT/O-POS was represented by Mr Kelvin Sergeant, Specialist, Enterprise Development and Job Creation, who assisted with facilitation at the Forum.
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Caribbean Co-operative Youth Conference, St Lucia At the request of the Caribbean Confederation of Credit Unions, the ILO was invited to participate in the Annual Caribbean Co-operative Youth Conference which took place in Castries, St Lucia on 5 August 2015. Mr. Kelvin Sergeant, ILO Specialist for Sustainable Development and Job Creation, facilitated the Conference which was attended by 30 young people between the ages of 15 and 29.
EMPLOYMENT PROMOTION
Under the Conference theme ‘Developing Effective Strategies for Youth Involvement in Credit Unions’, Mr. Sergeant introduced participants to the ILO’s role in cooperative development, and the role of cooperatives in national development and entrepreneurship. The conference participants were also introduced to the legal and regulatory underpinnings of cooperatives, as well as the role of the ILO and the UN System. Many of the youths attending the conference expressed appreciation of the Tripartite structure of the ILO. Participants discussed the possible challenges for young people wishing to join a cooperative and were asked to suggest possible solutions. Among the solutions discussed were the role of marketing, and the use of social media in attracting young people into cooperatives. Many participants spoke about the high level of unemployment among youths in St Lucia and agreed that cooperatives and other forms of social finance, inclusive of entrepreneurship and skills development in guided areas, could offer a solution.
Enhancing employment in Jamaica with MNE and CSR The ILO organized a workshop in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security to raise awareness about the Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy (MNE Declaration) which was held in Kingston, Jamaica on 27 July 2015 at the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. The activity forms part of an ILO project to Formalize the Informal Economy in Jamaica, which is being implemented in two pilot communities in the parish of St James. Ms Dorine Brooks, Director, ILO Desk at the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, gave opening remarks and Mr.
Karl Wedderburn, Director Industrial Relations and Allied Services delivered the opening address. Participants included the Hon. Sharon Folkes Abrahams, Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce; Ms. Brenda Cuthbert, CEO, Jamaica Employers’ Federation (JEF) and other officials from both public and private sectors. Mr Kelvin Sergeant, Specialist, Sustainable Enterprise Development and Job Creation, facilitated the one-day seminar, where he explained the MNE Declaration to participants, highlighting its objectives, policies and the role that MNEs could play in promoting youth
employment. Presentations continued from Ms. Nora Blake and Ms. Brigette McDonald Levy, Office of Minister of State, Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, on the role of MNEs and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Jamaica. A round table discussion followed on the role of MNEs in the tourism sector and the participants agreed that the ILO should assist with high-level research on the role of MNEs in the Jamaican economy and their impact on national development, employment creation, backward and forward linkages and their overall procurement policy.
ILO meets On-the-Job Trainees in Trinidad and Tobago The first cohort of trainees of the UN system On-the-Job Training (OJT) programme in Trinidad and Tobago, took the opportunity to share their experiences and perspectives during the UN system “Meet and Greet” session organized by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in Port of Spain on 18 August 2015. The OJT programme gave trainees the opportunity to experience the challenges and demands of working in an international organization, as well as contributing to the work of social and economic development around the world.
OJTs from the UN System, Trinidad and Tobago
Mr Hassan Ndahi, ILO Senior Specialist, Skills and Employability delivered a presentation on the topic “On-the-Job Training and Youth Transition to Employment”. Mr Ndahi explained to the trainees that unemployment among young people in the Caribbean was high, as in other regions of the world. Whilst the labour market will continue to be affected by economic, social and technological factors, closing the skills gap through OJT programmes will provide young people with workplace experience that employers often demand in today’s global competitive market. OJT provides hands-on experience; helps trainees acquire new skills and attitudes; fosters understanding of the work environment and career knowledge; and improves both performance and the quality of education. In addition to the importance of OJT, Mr Ndahi advised young people to seek career guidance in their academic pursuits and consider careers in new and emerging occupations and sectors. On-the-Job training opportunities can take several forms including: internships, cooperative education, apprenticeships, youth service, volunteering, and job shadowing.
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Trinidad and Tobago ratifies UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities also contributed to the discussion. “Legislation is critical. It is important to look at the issue of national legislation to facilitate the implementation of the articles of the Convention. Education, sensitization and public awareness are also very important.” said Mr Ndahi. Ms Akiko Ito gave remarks at the official announcement of the ratification of the UNCRPD, along with Ms Christine Newallo-Hosein, former Minister of the People and Social Development (MPSD), Ms Juliana Johan-Boodram, Permanent Secretary, MPSD, with the feature address delivered by the former Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Ms Kamla Persad Bissessar SC. The United Nations System, together with the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and key stakeholders formulated the biennial United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) 2014–2015 through an inclusive, participatory and consultative process. The UNDAF focuses on results in the following four areas: (1) Poverty Reduction (2) Health and Well-being (3) Citizen Security and Gender Equality and (4) Food Security and Environment. The UNDAF Pillar 1, ‘Poverty Reduction’ addresses two outcomes - Social Protection Floor and Skills Development. Ms Akiko Ito, UN (left) and Mr Hassan Ndahi, ILO (right) with attendees of the events at the National Enrichment Centre
To mark the opening of the centre Ms Akiko Ito, Chief, United Nations Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Division for Social Policy and Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), New York, spoke on a panel discussion on the importance of the ratification and the way forward. The event was also attended by members from local disability organizations and Mr Hassan Ndahi, ILO Senior Specialist, Skills and Employability, who
The ILO chairs the working group on the poverty reduction pillar in collaboration with the MPSD, other government Ministries and UN agencies. The MPSD is charged with the mandate to address the social challenges of poverty, social inequality and social exclusion, and the ratification of the UNCRPD was identified as a key activity. Through the work of the MPSD, and in collaboration with the UNDAF group on poverty reduction, the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago ratified the UNCRPD on 25 June 2015.
ILO chairs the Gender Equality, HIV, and Human Rights Thematic Group The Gender Equality, HIV and Human Rights Thematic Group (GHHR Group) is one of the inter-agency thematic groups established under the United Nations Country Team for Trinidad and Tobago. This group came into existence after two separate thematic groups (one on HIV, and the other on both gender and human rights) merged earlier this year.
INTERNATIONAL LABOUR STANDARDS
The announcement of Trinidad and Tobago’s ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) on 21 July 2015 took place alongside the official opening of the National Enrichment Centre at Carlsen Field. The centre will provide rehabilitation services, opportunities for vocational training and employment, independent life skills programmes, and therapeutic services for persons with disabilities.
The position of Chair of the GHHR Group thematic group rotates every six months, and the ILO is chairing the group from July until December 2015. The Thematic Group held a retreat on 21 July 2015 to discuss its terms of reference, which was finalized on 15 September 2015. As a special guest to the retreat, the Group welcomed Ms Akiko Ito, Chief, United Nations Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Division for Social Policy and Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) from New York.
Mr Shingo Miyake, Labour Law and International Labour Standards Specialist, ILO (left) speaks with Ms Akiko Ito, Chief, United Nations Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, DESA (right), who joined the GHHR Group during her visit to Trinidad and Tobago in July 2015.
The Group has started to design and plan its own activities which will be based on collaboration among the participating agencies, including the ILO. The Group prepared a joint submission on the human rights situation in Trinidad and Tobago for the Universal Periodic Review process of the UN Human Rights Council. The Group has successfully collected the largest number of inputs from UN agencies in the Caribbean region. Trinidad and Tobago will come under review for the second time next year.
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ILO supports small business development in the Bahamas
EMPLOYERS’ ACTIVITIES
The ILO provided support to the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers' Confederation (BCCEC) by sponsoring a training Workshop focusing on small businesses. Anne Knowles, ILO Senior Specialist, Employers’ Activities and Kelvin Sergeant, ILO Specialist, Sustainable Enterprise Development and Job Creation, facilitated the three day Workshop on Entrepreneurial and Enterprise Skills held from 8-10 September 2015.
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Twenty-eight participants took part in the Workshop including BCCEC staff from the Family Islands. The Workshop was based on the practical application of strategic, marketing, financial and business planning principles with each group of participants
devising a business idea and developing the necessary supporting pricing, promotion and planning documentation sufficient to satisfy a lending institution's requirements. The training would ensure that not only those who wanted to start or expand their business would have the necessary skills, but also that the BCCEC staff would have the ability to offer advice and training to budding entrepreneurs and those wishing to expand their businesses.
initiative. In addition to charging fees to offset costs, the BCCEC indicated it would be seeking funding for the Help Desk from various local and international partners.
BCCEC’s CEO Edison Sumner, stated that supporting SMEs ensured not just the reduction of unemployment rates, but it also played a part in reducing in crime rates. “Considering that over 50 per cent of all business start-ups fail within the first year of operations, we will endeavour to do what we can to On 8 September 2015, the BCCEC assist these businesses so that their launched a Help Desk for Small- and failure does not become an option,” Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) he said. seeking professional services and advice. The Help Desk will comprise Anne Knowles stated that such one SME administrator and one initiatives played an essential part in full-time research consultant. The formalizing the informal economy. Ministry of Finance contributed a grant of $100,000 towards the
Visit to BRANA, Haiti During their time in Haiti for the National Bipartite and a cafeteria where all employees – including Workshops under the EU-funded project (see story management – are encouraged to eat together. page 4-5) the employer Three initiatives that representatives (Ms Ms José Matthijsse Anne Knowles, ILO has introduced were of Senior Specialist particular interest: Employers’ Activities; Mr 1) a focus on a preventative Wayne Chen, President culture of occupational Caribbean Employers’ safety and health with Confederation (CEC); large notice boards setting Ms Marie-Louise Russo, out the importance of Executive Director of recording “near misses” as Haiti Association of well as incidents causing Industries; and Ms injury; Gabrielle Johnson, 2) an arrangement to buy National Project Officer, locally-grown sorghum CEC) were pleased to with the Smallholders be invited to the national Alliance for Sorghum in brewery, the Brasserie Haiti (SMASH) comprising Nationale d’Haiti SA some 18,000 small scale (BRANA), to learn about farmers; and the initiatives being implemented there. After Mr Wayne Chen, President Caribbean Employers’ Confederation; 3) a luncheon hosted at the Marie-Louise Russo, Executive Director of Haiti Association of end of every month inviting a briefing by the CEO, Ms Ms Industries; Ms Anne Knowles, ILO Senior Specialist Employers’ José Matthijsse and her Activities; and Gabrielle Johnson, National Project Officer, CEC, all those in the company colleagues, a tour of the accompanied by the CEO, Ms José Matthijsse (1st left) and whose birthday fell during during a tour of Haiti’s national brewery, the Brasserie that month. complex was undertaken colleagues, Nationale d’Haiti SA (BRANA). to see how the practices spoken of were being implemented. Since Ms Matthijsse found these events to be particularly Heineken increased its stake in the company useful in exchanging views and learning more about to 95% in December 2011, US$100 million was the issues confronting a wide range of employees as spent on modernisation and expansion including a well as communicating matters about the company in power plant to compensate for irregular grid supply an informal setting.
Customer Relationship Management Database for Employers’ Organizations in Belize and Barbados A software programme to assist Employers’ Organizations manage relations with their members, developed as a global tool by ACT/EMP Turin in conjunction with a French software developing company SYNOLIA, has been implemented at the Barbados Employers’ Confederation (BEC) and the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI).
can be easily developed so that emails can be sent to a particular target group rather than general “all member” circulation. In May 2015 a specialist user training workshop was held in Turin in which BEC and BCCI participated. The software was then installed in each of the organizations, customized to their membership lists. Two-day workshops were then held for all staff of BCCI and BEC in August 2015 in their respective countries, to make sure that all were familiar with the system and all were committed to using it. An evaluation will be carried out in the New Year to ascertain how much it was used by the two organizations to determine whether it could be rolled out to other EOs in the region.
The product was launched for Employers’ Organizations in the Caribbean in October 2013 during the regional workshop ACT/EMP Turin facilitated Employers’ Organizations - Reaching Out to Women Entrepreneurs and the subsequent proposals put forward by BEC and BCCI were accepted. The software not only enables an Employers’ Organization Ms Kim Aikman, Chief to manage the invoices Mr Arnout de Koster (ITC Turin) and Mr Cedric Mourizard Executive Officer of BCCI said, it sends - using a “traffic (SYNOLIA) working with the CEO and staff of the BCCI. “The [Customer Relationship light” system to show which Management] CRM has members are current, those whose subscriptions are almost due and those that are in arrears - it allows provided the Belize Chamber of Commerce & Industry all interactions with staff of company members to be with a tool that significantly enhances its service to our recorded such as attending training workshops, receiving members. It allows us to be responsive to our members’ telephone advice, participating in meetings and having needs and tailor our programs to remain relevant. The informal consultations. From these interactions a report workshop provided us the opportunity as a team to can be produced for the individual member on an learn together and to see the importance of each of our annual basis showing the value that the EO has added. responsibilities in providing the best possible service to Different groupings within the membership database our members. We are truly excited at the possibilities.”
Building Entrepreneurial Skills in Suriname A three-day workshop was held in Paramaribo, Suriname, from 2023 July 2015 in conjunction with the Suriname Trade and Industry Association (STIA) to assist budding entrepreneurs and those who were already in business to gain the knowledge necessary the networking opportunities to either start or improve their and learning from each other’s business. experience to be a beneficial part of the course. As in workshops The workshop, facilitated by of this kind previously presented Ms Anne Knowles, ILO Senior for Employers’ Organizations in Specialist Employers’ Activities and Barbados, Saint Lucia and the Mr Kelvin Sergeant, ILO Cayman Islands, the participants Specialist, Sustainable Enterprise worked in groups to apply the Development and Job Creation, theoretical knowledge imparted to was attended by 34 participants a practical setting by developing full representing a very diverse marketing and financial plans for a group of individuals who found company each group had to devise.
Participants at the workshop in Suriname
The response to the workshop was so great that a further course will be held in Suriname in October with the Executive Director of STIA being a cofacilitator. It is expected that STIA will run further courses itself in the future. To watch a short programme (in Dutch) about the workshop, please visit: youtu.be/5JHBoC4bYxM?t=4m31s 13
STAFF MOVEMENTS
New Director joins ILO Decent Work Team and Office for the Caribbean Ms Claudia Coenjaerts, a Belgian national, has been appointed as Director of the ILO Decent Work Team and Office for the Caribbean, effective 1 August 2015. Ms Coenjaerts joined the ILO in 1995 and has worked extensively in Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. Prior to taking up her assignment as Director of the ILO Office based in Port-of-Spain, Ms Coenjaerts took an 18-month sabbatical from the ILO to act as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Fair Labor Association in Washington, D.C.
Claudia Coenjaerts, Director, ILO DWT/O-POS
Within the ILO, Ms Coenjaerts previously held the post of Deputy Regional Director for Africa, based in Addis Ababa, from 2012 to 2013. She has also held the roles of Director, ILO Country Office, Bangladesh; Director, ILO Country Office for Sri Lanka and the Maldives; Head of the Management Support Unit for the Employment Sector, ILO Geneva; Lead Coordinator, ILO Liberia Program; Global Coordinator, ILO Youth Employment Program, ILO Geneva; Senior Specialist for Socio-Economic Reintegration Crisis Response and Reconstruction Program, ILO Geneva; Regional Specialist for Child Labour, ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific; Chief Technical Advisor for sub-regional project on child labour and women workers, Thailand; and Gender Associate Expert and Consultant, Thailand and Cambodia.
With her depth of experience in the ILO field offices, Ms Coenjaerts has acquired a broad understanding of ILO development cooperation activities, as well as expertise in the areas of gender equality at work; child labour; international labour standards; workers’ rights; multi stakeholder initiatives; employment creation; youth employment; job creation in fragile states; social and labour compliance in supply chains in apparel and footwear; electronics and agriculture. Ms. Coenjaerts holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in Sociology from the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium.
Interview with the Director, Claudia Coenjaerts Q. A.
What first attracted you to work for the ILO?
Q. A.
What has been the most challenging assignment you have had in your career so far?
When I embarked on my first posting in the ILO as a Junior Programme Officer – financed by the Belgian Government - I was driven by what I would call, a more generic and basic interest in international development issues, which was also the motivation for my studies in Sociology. It was by being immersed in ILO issues that I grew a deep passion for, our mandate to promote social justice and sustainable development, and for the way we execute this through tripartism and social dialogue. Now, enriched with a more sophisticated perception of the global context and after more than 20 years of serving the ILO in different capacities and places – including work on fragile states - I am persuaded of the critical place of the ILO mandate in achieving a fair globalization with prosperous and peaceful societies. “Good jobs-growth” doesn’t come without explicit and well-coordinated policy coherence. Standing as a goal of its own in the post 2015 development framework expresses recognition of its enormous relevance to sustainable development. Yet, it is as important to stay aware that the decent work agenda cannot materialize on its own, but needs to interact with many other development priorities. The strength of social partners is absolutely essential in this process.
Well, first I will say, I love challenges and consider them opportunities. Second, every assignment comes with its own particular set and I can generally say that all my experiences have been positive and rewarding. I have been enriched by every job I have held and all the people I worked with. My most recent tenure as the President of the Fair Labor Association - which introduced me to the challenges and efforts in the private sector in keeping to their commitment to fair working conditions for workers in their global supply chains - stands out for two reasons. One, it exposed me to the complexity involved in marrying social and economic objectives in the real world and helped me understand the power of leadership in the private sector. Two, it took courage and humility to step out of my own professional comfort zone and throw myself into a new learning experience and a challenging leadership position. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I feel renewed and excited about returning to the ILO. In fact, it re-invigorated my passion for the ILO and strengthened my belief in the Organization.
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Q. Since you moved to the Caribbean a few weeks ago, what have you observed are some of the key ‘world of work’ issues facing the region? And how do these issues in the Caribbean context, compare to the other areas in which you have served the ILO, such as in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka? A.
This region is new to me, so I will not pretend to submit a deep analysis. I am on an intense learning curve to understand all the specific intricacies, characteristics, institutions of this region, and to know the political and socio-economic specificities of each of the 13 countries and 9 metropolitan territories we cover. I don’t think one can ever simply replicate what you have done in one country to another – no matter how successful it has been - but it allows you to compile a lot of important tacit knowledge and understanding that makes it easier to develop a strong partnership and programme with your constituents. With that in mind, I believe this is an exciting, promising but also challenged region. These are mostly middle income countries with highly educated populations and relatively well established labour market institutions, including some social security. There are generally good levels of ratifications of International Labour Standards. These are great starting points for sustainable development. Then there are the challenges: being small in size makes it difficult to build economies of scale and to compete with the global world, regional integration is important but not easy. Developing infrastructure of any kind is critical yet very expensive in this context. As an example: for each country to set up sustainable Labour Market Information Systems has been a challenge, many efforts have been made over the years, but there is staff turnover – maybe related to the brain drain phenomenon - in what already are narrowly staffed labour administrations. Building an IT structure and keeping it up to date in each country is expensive. Data are not easy to find and that makes any monitoring of impact from interventions, policies and programmes impossible. Economic growth continues to be slow and it is important to find ways to reverse this; all the countries realize there is need for economic diversification, innovation, and competitiveness. The high levels of indebtedness of many countries complicate the situation as it leaves little fiscal space for social programmes or to address common inequalities, or mitigate the negative impact of reforms. Third is the challenge around climate change, countries that contribute least to the global carbon footprint often pay a high price for the negative consequences. Greening the economy has to be an important policy priority. How can the Governments develop policies that bring in the needed reforms, while keeping enough space for essential social protection and for creating enabling environments for private sector development? These are difficult questions and even the most advanced countries grapple with them, which makes it all the more important to use social dialogue to reach consensus.
Q. What will be the focus of the ILO Decent Work Team and Office for the Caribbean over the next 2-4 years, and how will you involve constituents in the planning process? A. We – the ILO Office for the Caribbean - are a small team that covers many countries and many aspects of the world of work. A recently conducted independent high level evaluation of the ILO programme in the Caribbean found that our counterparts confirm that generally we have been doing meaningful work. So that is good news. Before I determine how we can be most strategic and how we best use the limited resources we have, it is important that I meet the constituents and that I learn from the employers, workers and the governments in the respective countries what the most important and relevant areas are for the ILO to engage in. Several of our Decent Work Country Programmes – which as we know is the ILO’s prioritization and programming tool – are coming to an end, so it is important to take stock of where we are and determine where we can add value to the challenging national agendas of the countries under our coverage. It also seems important to me – and the evaluation indicated a similar finding – that we need to develop a stronger regional strategy and ensure it interacts well with national specific requirements. I think the ILO has a lot to offer through processes of social dialogue; providing assistance in the areas of job creation – including entrepreneurship and skills development and skills forecasting; active labour market policies and strong employment services; social protection; and the protection of workers’ rights – as well as in promoting strong labour administrations to ensure a sustainable work environment. Given the middle income nature of the countries in this region, donor funding is limited, so we must help Governments identify ways to increase their national budgets for this and to be creative in tapping funding opportunities for instance, by emphasizing the green economy.
Q. With the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda in September 2015 and more specifically goal #8 focusing on “Decent Work” as a driver of development, does this signify a new era in recognising workers’ rights? A.
I see the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) as a great opportunity. I read many of the speeches given by Heads of State or Representatives from the Caribbean present in New York last week. These were powerful statements that confirmed a strong commitment to the goals, but also a desire to see some of the challenges specific to this region to be taken into account. The entire UN community is coming together on these goals and on the framework. Goal 8 is the one that links directly and most intimately with all the work of the ILO, but goals 1, 5 and 10 are also important reflections of the ILO mandate, and I look forward to engaging with stakeholders to determine how we can work together on the pursuit of these goals.
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INFORMATION RESOURCES Indispensable yet unprotected: Working conditions of Indian Domestic Workers at Home and Abroad
Educating for Union Strength The handbook emphasizes the importance of training educators and focuses on ‘educating the union educator’ to implement education activities that are learner focused and based on the principles of solidarity and collectivism. It recognizes that education is a vital part of a union strategy and action plans because it encourages the involvement and confidence of workers to play a role in the union strengthening negotiations, representation and campaigns.
An explanatory brochure: Promoting collective bargaining (C154 & R163)
This study aims to provide policy-makers and service providers with deeper insight into the nature of forced labour and trafficking in this region. Armed with this knowledge, action to combat trafficking in the region will become more effective, finally bringing an end to this unacceptable form of human exploitation. www.ilo.org/global/topics/forced-labour/publications/ WCMS_378058
www.ilo.org/actrav/info/pubs/WCMS_382787
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 - Fourth (revised) edition, 2015 The FAQ is intended to help persons engaged in the study or application of the MLC, 2006 to find answers to questions they have about this innovative ILO Convention.
The Collective B a r g a i n i n g Convention (No. 154) and its accompanying Recommendation (No. 163) were adopted by the International Labour Conference in 1981 to complement Convention No. 98. They set out the types of measures that can be adopted to promote collective bargaining and the aims of these measures. Because it is promotional in nature, Convention No. 154 can be implemented in countries with different economic and social conditions, with different legislative frameworks, and in a variety of industrial relations systems. www.ilo.org/travail/areasofwork/WCMS_244335
www.ilo.org/global/standards/maritime-labour-convention/what-it-does/faq/WCMS_238010
INTERNATIONAL OBSERVANCES OCTOBER
UPCOMING EVENTS
1 - International Day of Older Persons 5 - World Teachers’ Day 11 - International Day of the Girl Child 17 - International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 24 - United Nations Day
• 24 October 2015 - UN Day, 70th Anniversary of the United Nations • 29 October - 12 November 2015 - 325th Session of the ILO Governing Body • 3-5 November 2015 - Regional Bipartite Workshop in Grenada with CCL/CEC/ ILO under the EU-funded project1 • 3-4 December 2015 - XIX Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labor (IACML) of the OAS, Cancun, Mexico
NOVEMBER 2 - International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists 14 - World Diabetes Day 15 - World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims 19 - World Toilet Day 20 - Universal Children’s Day 25 - International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women DECEMBER 1 - World AIDS Day 2 - International Day for the Abolition of Slavery 3 - International Day of Persons with Disabilities 10 - Human Rights Day 18 - International Migrants Day
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An activity under the project “Challenges to CARIFORUM Labour, Private Sector and Employers to fulfil their EPA Obligations: Caribbean Employers’ Confederation (CEC) and the Caribbean Congress of Labour (CCL) Component of the Support to Facilitate Participation of CARIFORUM Civil Society in Regional Development and Integration Process” funded by the European Union.
ILO VACANCIES @ http://erecruit.ilo.org
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Produced by the Information Unit, ILO Office for the Caribbean, P.O. Box 1201, 6 Stanmore Avenue, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. Tel. (868) 623-7704/7178 Fax (868) 627-8978 Email: ilocarib@ilo.org Website: www.ilo.org/caribbean Photographs courtesy: Bahamas Information Service; Diplomatic Academy of the Caribbean, University of the West Indies; FESI - National Youth Institute of Suriname; Government Information Agency Guyana; HASC, The Ministry of Labour and Small Enterprise Development, Trinidad and Tobago; TIBS, Trinidad and Tobago.